The Rockets did acquire James Harden before the start of the 2012-13 season, but if the team wants to make that next step to become an upper echelon squad, it has to get more star power. Houston has always been interested in Lakers center Dwight Howard and the front office will do whatever it can to convince him to leave Los Angeles for the Lone Star State.

Sources say the Rockets’ preference is to sign Dwight Howard, but will pursue Andrew Bynum and Josh Smith as alternatives.

As they stand right now, the Rockets are a very explosive team and all of their young players are continuing to get better. Houston is currently the seventh seed in the Western Conference standings and they have already beaten the Lakers twice this season. With the regular season coming down to an end, the Lakers and Rockets will be battling for playoff positioning.

Although the Lakers are more concerned about catching the Utah Jazz, who are above them in the standings, the team will benefit greatly whenever the Rockets lose a game. The Lakers and Rockets play one more in the final game of the regular season, a match that may have serious playoff implications.